Ontario signs contract to purchase electricity from United States - Toronto Sun

EconomicsPublished: October 19, 2026 at 12:16p.m. EDTBNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada’s latest outlook survey suggested that business sentiment improved on average in the third quarter, although concerns remained about rising costs and the war in the Middle East. However, the central bank said about three-quarters of the interviews with businesses for the survey took place before trade talks between Canada and the United States broke down at the end of August and new Canadian counter-tariffs were announced. It says after the trade talks broke down, firms cited new U. S. tariffs on some goods and Canadian counter‑tariffs as factors weighing on their outlooks. Latest economic news on BNNBloomberg.caThe Bank of Canada says inflation expectations have risen alongside the new tariffs and the recent increase in energy prices. It added that the tariffs are also dampening business sentiment, weakening outlooks for exports and investment and putting upward pressure on costs and prices.

Published: October 19, 2026 at 11:37a.m. EDTHomeowners may be tempted to take the mortgage rate offered in a renewal letter, but savvy borrowers see it as the start of a negotiation process that could lead to big savings. With many borrowers now renewing at rates above what they previously locked in, mortgage professionals say the worst move is signing whatever arrives in the mail. The best results come from starting early, shopping around, and comparing more than the headline rate. Kola Ifabumuyi, a certified mortgage planner with Mortgage Architects, suggests starting about four months out from your renewal date, or earlier for self-employed borrowers or anyone whose income has changed. He advises homeowners to gather their mortgage statement and renewal offer, check how many years remain on the amortization, and decide what monthly payment they can afford. Anyone considering switching lenders should also start pulling together income documents. Personal plans matter as well. For instance, when Ifabumuyi worked with a homeowner planning to sell soon after renewal, they focused on what the mortgage would cost until the sale and what it would cost to break the contract.

PoliticsUpdated: October 19, 2026 at 11:30a.m. EDTPublished: October 19, 2026 at 11:07a.m. EDTSenator Pamela Wallin speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle OTTAWA — Pamela Wallin has resigned from the Senate, according to her biography on the Senate website. Wallin was appointed to the Upper Chamber in 2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She had a trail-blazing career as a broadcaster and became the first woman to be named bureau chief for CTV News in Ottawa in 1985. After she became embroiled in the Senate expenses scandal that started in 2013, she was asked to leave the Conservative caucus in the Upper Chamber. An audit determined that about $140,000 in expenses she charged to the Senate were improper as they covered travel related to her positions on corporate boards. Wallin has represented her home province of Saskatchewan and is two years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

MarketsPublished: October 19, 2026 at 11:22a.m. EDTBNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index dropped more than 300 points in late-morning trading, while U. S. markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 347.61 points at 35,828.94. Real-time TSX market updates hereIn New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 56.80 points at 51,945.61. The S&P 500 index was up 44.21 points at 7,703.65, while the Nasdaq composite was up 375.37 points at 26,515.41. The Canadian dollar traded for 70.93 cents US compared with 70.65 cents US on Friday. S&P 500 market updates hereThe December crude oil contract was down US$1.33 at US$97.69 per barrel. The December gold contract was down US$14.20 at US$4,166.90 an ounce.---This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

Published: October 19, 2026 at 11:08a.m. EDTBNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. WASHINGTON — Trump Tower had just opened and “The Art of the Deal” was three years from publication when 38-year-old Donald Trump suggested he could negotiate Russian arms control better than Ronald Reagan. “It would take an hour-and-a-half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles,” Trump told The Washington Post in 1984. It was all about dealmaking prowess. “You either have it, or you don’t,” he said. Before there was much talk of being a personal brand, Trump had landed on his: the consummate, swashbuckling, never-lose negotiator. It was an image he cultivated in the New York tabloids and later on reality TV, repeating it so often that, to his supporters, perception became reality. Now, as he zigzags the country for Republican candidates, from Florida to Alaska, Trump is exhorting voters to again embrace him as an unqualified success in a midterm election that has become a referendum on his presidency and his record as a dealmaker.

Published: October 19, 2026 at 10:48a.m. EDTBNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. WASHINGTON — The U. S. Homeland Security Department is ordering the removal of DeepSeek products and third-party services using the Chinese AI model from U. S. civilian agency IT systems, according to a notice published Monday. The department is also banning acquisition of DeepSeek products and third-party services developed using DeepSeek by U. S. civilian government agencies. DHS said DeepSeek models pose “multiple threat vectors” and raised concerns that use of the product “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by U. S. government employees or vendors.”DHS also said use of DeepSeek by government agencies “could produce actionable intelligence on U. S. persons and/or government agencies. The models themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.”Latest technology news on BNNBloomberg.caIn a July memo made public Monday, DHS told federal agencies to monitor flows of traffic in and out of government websites to address potential risks from DeepSeek.